


When We Were Young

by SakuraBlossomStorm



Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Ben has several bad ideas in this fic, Childhood Friends, Divorce, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Moonrise Kingdom au, Romance, relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-02-03 00:48:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12737646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraBlossomStorm/pseuds/SakuraBlossomStorm
Summary: At the age of ten, Leslie and Ben made a bad decision. 25 years later, fate brings them back together in an unexpected way.





	When We Were Young

**Author's Note:**

> Here we go! Part one of my Moonrise Kingdom AU!
> 
> I've worked really hard on this, so I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to comment if you liked it. It really would make my day.
> 
> Thaks to LeslieKnope-PawneeGoddess on tumblr for checking this over for me.

_1985_

Ben Wyatt scratched the back of his neck where the fabric of his new Pawnee Rangers uniform was itching. He waited just outside of the community hall for his parents to come and get him. He knew they’d be late, they were always late.

He kicked a stone that was lying close by and sniffed. He’d assumed that his parents had gotten into a fight, and that was the reason they were late. They always seemed to fight nowadays. Ben hated it, he’d hide in his room or when it got really bad and they’d scream at each other, he and Steph would hide in Henry’s room, and the three of them would watch TV.

Ben sniffed again, rubbing his nose on the back of his sleeve, when he heard someone scoff behind him.

“That’s gross. You should really get a tissue.”

Ben turned around and scowled. It was a girl. Short and blonde. She folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“Here,” she said, rolling her eyes and pulling a tissue from her pocket. “My mom always says that you shouldn’t use your sleeve.”

Ben mumbled a thanks, still eyeing her warily. “What are you doing here?”

The girl sighed. “I tried to join the Pawnee Rangers, but they wouldn’t let me because I’m a girl.”

She dropped down onto the curb side. “Everything sucks. But I’ll show them. I’ll make my own group and it will be ten times better than the Pawnee Rangers.”

“They wouldn’t let you join because you’re a girl?” Ben asked, sitting down next to her.

She nodded. “Something about me being delicate. I’m not delicate. I like camping and fishing. My dad taught me to fish before… before he got too sick.”

Ben frowned. “Your dad is sick?”

“Yeah, it’s ok though,” the girl continued. “We get to see him in the hospital all the time. And he lets me ride in his wheelchair.”

She turned to him and stuck out her hand. “My name’s Leslie Knope.”

Ben frowned at her hand but still shook it. “I’m Benji Wyatt.”

“My mom always says that I should shake hands with everyone that I meet so that they know I’m assertive.”

Ben wrinkled his nose. He had no idea what assertive meant. But he assumed it meant bossy.

“I think you would have made a great ranger,” Ben said. “You’re fun.”

Leslie giggled softly. “You can be a part of my new group, once I start it of course.”

She pulled her backpack around and took a small blue notepad out. She scribbled something down and handed it over to Ben. “Here, it’s my address. We should write to each other. I’ve always wanted a penpal.”

Ben smiled back at her. “Okay, but don’t you live close by?”

“I don’t care,” Leslie said, shaking her head vigorously. “We can be secret penpals. It’ll be fun!”

Ben agreed, and he borrowed Leslie’s notepad to write his own address down. She inspected his writing with a curled lip.

“Your handwriting is messy.”

Ben scowled. “Don’t be mean.”

Leslie cackled loudly. “I’m not being mean. I’m being me.”

Just then, a car parked close by and the horn honked loudly. Ben recognised it instantly and jumped up. 

“That’s my dad, I should go,” Ben mumbled, getting up from the curb side.

“Okay, don’t forget to write me a letter. I’ll be waiting, and I know where you live so I can come and remind you,” Leslie said, getting up with him. 

Ben felt a little afraid, but still gave Leslie a cheery wave as he headed over to his dad’s car.

~~

_Leslie,_

_See, I didn’t forget to write to you. My mom says it’s weird that we are writing though, she says you live like two streets over. But I like it. I never really talk to girls, other than my sister Stephanie, but she’s 6 and likes dolls so it’s hard._

_Do you have any brothers or sisters? I have Stephanie, and an older brother called Henry. He’s cool, but he gets into trouble a lot. I like him though. He makes me laugh, especially when our parents fight._

_I’m sorry that you didn’t get to join the Pawnee Rangers. Today we had our first meeting and we’re going camping next week. I’ve never been camping before, other than when Henry and me stayed out in a tent in our backyard. We went inside when it started raining though. I don’t think we can do that this time around. Our group leader, Mr Lerpiss, says that we have to tough it out no matter the weather._

_I really hope you get to start your own wilderness group. That would be really cool._

_Right back soon,_

_Benji._

~~

_Benji,_

_I knew you wouldn’t forget. But next time remember to punctuate your letters. I’ve returned your first letter and made notes on it so you can learn from your mistakes._

_My mom says that you aren’t far away either. But I’ve never had a penpal before, so I think I prefer this._

_There’s nothing wrong with playing with dolls. If that’s what she likes then you shouldn’t complain. I like setting my stuffed animals and dolls up for debate competitions._

_I don’t have any brothers or sisters. It’s just me and my mom, and my dad when he’s home from the hospital. Henry sounds like fun, but troublemakers are never good._

_I’m over it, but thank you. My mom says that I was too much of a powerful woman and that I’d intimidate everyone. Camping sounds fun though, you’ll have to tell me all about it._

_You can still be in my new group when I start it._

_Write back,_

_Leslie._

~~

_Leslie,_

_Thank you for returning the letter with your notes. Although there were some I didn’t understand. You put a red line under ‘Henry and me,’ That makes perfect sense to me?_

_Do you wish that you had a brother or a sister? Sometimes me and Henry fight, and Stephanie cries a lot, but I love them._

_I still think it’s really unfair. We just got back from camping and it was so much fun. I even learnt how to fish and I remember that you said your dad taught you. I hope he is feeling better._

_When I came home, Henry said something about my dad going away for a while. I’m not sure what that means, I think he’s gone on a trip for work. But my mom keeps crying, I hope she’s ok._

_We’re supposed to be going to Minnesota for Christmas. I hope we can still go there. My grandparents live there. Are you going anywhere this Christmas?_

_Write back soon,_

_Benji._

~~

_Benji,_

_It should be ‘Henry and I.’ Not ‘Henry and me.’_

_Sometimes I wish I had a sibling. My best friend, Ann Perkins, is like my sister. She’s really pretty. I wish I looked like her._

_My dad is ok. He sleeps a lot. I love sleeping too. Sometimes I take naps with him on his hospital bed and that makes him happy._

_I’m glad that camping was fun. Did you catch some fish? It’s really hard to do because you have to trick the fish to take the bait._

_I hope that your dad comes home soon. Maybe he has gone on a trip? I think your mom is lonely. You should give her a hug, that’ll make her happy._

_I want to go to Disneyland, but my mom says that we’ll probably stay here for Christmas. She says it’s easier for my dad._

_Write back,_

_Leslie._

~~

_Leslie,_

_I think you’re really pretty, and you don’t need to change your looks._

_My dad came back a few days ago, but they still argue. It’s really annoying. I wish I could go back to camping, everything was quiet there._

_I managed to catch a trout. It was really small though. A boy in our group, Michael, caught a really big one. We ate that one for dinner._

_I’ve never been to Disneyland. I asked my mom when we’d be able to go, but she said that it was up to my dad, then she said a really bad word._

_I hate it when they argue._

_Write back soon,_

_Benji._

~~

_Benji,_

_Sorry for the late reply. It’s not usually like me._

_My dad died in his sleep last week… I don’t know what to do. Nothing makes sense anymore. I didn’t even realise he was that sick. I just thought he would be in the hospital for a little while then he’d be home…but he’s not coming home anymore._

_I can’t sleep. I’m so scared to close my eyes. My mom wants me to go to the doctor but I don’t want to. Doctors were supposed to make my dad better, but they didn’t._

_I’m so upset I don’t know what to do. I keep thinking about what you said about wanting to be back out in the woods and camp…I want to do that too._

_Write back,_

_Leslie._

~~

_Leslie,_

_I’m so sorry about your dad. I hope you’re ok._

_I want to make things better for you. We could go camping together. I have supplies at home. If you wanted to, I could take you to the spot we went to, and you can try and sleep._

_Let me know._

_Benji._

~~

_Benji,_

_What time and what date?_

_Leslie._

~~

_2011_

Leslie’s eyes slowly flickered open and she was met with the red rays of the morning sun cracking through her curtains. 

She glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. 5:24. Right on time.

It was still pretty early in the morning, but for her, she woke up around 5 every morning.

Leslie rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Memories from the day when she ran away filled her mind. She wasn’t sure why these made an appearance today. But she chuckled softly at the memory of them, and how stupid she was to run away with Benji Wyatt. 

She wondered where Benji was nowadays. The last she heard he had moved to Minnesota with his mother following the divorce. She wondered if he was still there.

The buzzing on Leslie’s desk removed her from her thoughts. She looked over and saw a text from Dave. He was just coming home from his nightshift. He knew that she’d be awake, so he texted her to tell her that he’d see her later.

Leslie smiled. Dave was kind and sweet but… something just didn’t feel right. Like there was something missing. A fiery passion or something. 

Not that Leslie didn’t feel satisfied, no, this went deeper. Almost that she wanted someone that would pin her up against the wall and fuck her until she nearly blacked out. Someone that would pull her into his arms after sex and cuddle her. Dave wasn’t much of a cuddler. He was always far too warm most of the time.

They had been together for over a year now, and everything was just…nice. Not wonderful, not fiery, just nice. It wasn’t that she didn’t love Dave, it was just that she didn’t love Dave.

She grabbed her phone and texted a reply, telling him that she was glad he got home safe and to get some rest. Then, she peeled the covers off from her and jumped in the shower. 

She wondered if Dave ever had the same thoughts about them, or whether he was just perfectly happy with complacent.

Leslie wasn’t, Leslie wanted more. She was always looking for more.

~~

Ben trudged downstairs and rubbed his eyes. He hated mornings, there was never enough sleep in the world to combat his tiredness.

He’d been having weird dreams too. Very vivid ones of his old childhood friend, Leslie. A strange person to dream about considering he hadn’t seen her in well over twenty years.

“Good morning,” a voice chirruped form the kitchen, and Ben looked up. His fiancée, Alison, was pouring a cup of coffee out for him. She placed it on the dining table and went back to her yoghurt.

“How did you sleep?” she asked, and Ben grunted in response.

“Ok, I guess,” he said, taking a sip of the coffee, she knew how he liked it. Black and barely any sugar.

There was an awkward silence as they sat across the table. It was always like this when Ben had to go away for work. She fiddled with her engagement ring and looked back up at him.

“So where will you be going again?”

“Pawnee,” Ben replied. “It’s like an hour’s drive. It’s really not that far, I can come back at weekends or evenings if you-”

“It’s fine,” Alison said with a soft smile. “I don’t mind, do whatever you’re happy with. We can always talk on the phone or Skype.”

She reached over and stroked his hand, a movement that now seemed so foreign. “We’ll make it work, we always do.”

Ben smiled back at her, but it didn’t feel natural. They had slowly been drifting apart for years, and this was the worst that it had been. They had postponed the wedding three times. They insisted that it was because of work commitments and wanting to save more money.

In reality, they were both too afraid to admit that it was over.

That sad thing was, they still loved each other. Ben would take a bullet for Alison, and she’d do the same. But they weren’t in love anymore. Just friends who had casual, average sex every now and then and shared a house. 

He felt terrible, but it worked for the moment.

He drained his coffee and placed in the sink, then he kissed Alison’s forehead. “I’ll call you when I get there.”

Alison nodded and Ben slipped on his shoes and jacket, then, grabbed his suitcase and left.

~~

Leslie paced the floor nervously. Auditors. Coming here. No, that wasn’t happening. Today was supposed to be the day that she showed her budget presentation to the City Manager, but now she had to wait for two suits to show up, posing as a threat to her department.

Ron appeared in the doorway. “Well, Paul just called. They’re on their way down.”

Leslie nervously smoothed out her blazer. There was anxious chatter around the room, and Jerry was mumbling something about his pension.

Soon, the two men walked in. The cheery one, Chris, was eagerly telling them all that they were just there to tinker with the budget. But Leslie wasn’t listing, she was too busy looking at the other man.

Where had she seen that face before? Where had she seen that wild brown hair before? There was something about the way he looked around the room, like he was waiting for it to explode. She knew that look, she’d seen it somewhere before.

Chris patted the man on the shoulder. “My partner, Ben, is going to stay here to get started, but I have to dash.”

Leslie’s eyes widened and she gasped, and for the first time since entering the room, Ben looked up at her, and recognised her.

“Leslie Knope?”

“Benji Wyatt!”

~~

_1985._

They stood at the entrance of the woods.

Ben shuffled nervously on the spot. He was still dressed in his Pawnee Rangers uniform, apparently having come from there. He had a fishing rod, a rolled-up tent and a backpack at his feet.

Leslie stepped closer to him, her feet crunching against the leaves. She had packed everything she could think of too, and made sure it fit neatly in her own backpack.

She sniffed, and Ben pulled out a tissue from his pocket.

“You should blow your nose,” Ben said, and Leslie scowled at him.

“I know,” she scoffed.

Leslie looked down at the stuff Ben had bought with him. “Will that be enough?”

Ben nodded. “I raided the supply store at the rangers. I took a fishing rod and bait so that we can fish. I also borrowed a tent and matches. WE just need to find wood for a fire.”

He pulled out a map and a compass from his pocket. “We need to get here, it’s in the centre of the woods, but there’s a huge lake so we can get plenty of food. It’ll take us a few hours to get there, so we can do half the journey now, then rest, and the next half tomorrow.”

“Sounds easy enough,” Leslie said, and the two started walking. She rummaged around in her pocket, pulling out a packet of red vines.

“Red vine?” she asked, offering Ben one.

“No thanks, I prefer twizzlers.”

~~

_2011_

They stared at each other for a few minutes, processing everything.

“You two know each other?” Tom asked, looking back from Leslie to Ben.

“We… we were friends when we were younger,” Leslie choked out, stepping closer to Ben. What should she do? Hug him? Shake his hand? They were so close back then, but it’d been years.

Ben seemed to hover awkwardly on the balls of his feet, as if contemplating the same thing.

“This is crazy,” he finally stammered out. “It’s been what? Twenty six years?”

“Something like that,” Leslie said. “Wow. It’s so good to see you, you look great.”

“Thanks, so do you,” Ben said, blushing slightly. “So, you stayed in Pawnee all your life, huh?”

“Why would I leave?” Leslie scoffed. “This is the greatest town in America. The last I heard you moved to Minnesota?”

“Yeah, up until after college, I wanted to move back to a busier town. Where we lived in Minnesota was tiny,” Ben explained.

He grinned widely at her. “But this is insane, I was thinking this morning about…y’know what we got up to when we were younger.”

“Me too,” Leslie admitted, smiling back. “You know I still have the newspaper clippings from it.”

“You do?” Ben said. “That’s amazing.”

“Aren’t you here for a budget meeting?” Ron interrupted, scowling at Ben.”

“Uh…yes, yeah, sorry, got distracted there.” Ben cleared his throat and adjusted his tie.

“Do you both have a second?”

~~

“Alright, let’s hear it, you’re mad at me,” Ben said with a sigh, as the bartender set two bottles of beer in front of them.

Leslie wrinkled her nose sheepishly at him. “I’m sorry I called you a jerk.”

A jerk. Within maybe ten minutes of seeing his childhood friend again and having to do his not-so-great job of needing to fire people and slash budgets, she called him a jerk.

Needless to say, when Leslie realised what she’d done she clapped a hand over her mouth and apologised profusely, while Ron just stifled a laugh next to her.

After the meeting, Ben asked Leslie for a beer, despite it being 10:30 in the morning. Not just so that could reminisce, but also so they could talk about why he was there, and so she could see that it was still him…even if he did come off as a threat.

“You know, this isn’t my fault,” Ben said, toying with his beer bottle. “I know we might seem like a threat to you, but it’s because of your Mayor and City Council that you’re in this situation. We’re just here to help get you out of a problem. Hopefully the casualties will be minor and we’ll get everything back up and running soon.”

Leslie took a sip of her beer. “I know, it’s just…this department is like my family, and when someone poses as a threat to my family, I get protective.”

“I understand that,” Ben said. “Well, the good news is that the numbers don’t look that bad. We might even avoid a shutdown, which most towns end up having to do.”

“That’s good, I guess,” Leslie said. She couldn’t help but scope him all over. She couldn’t believe that it was little Benji Wyatt here in front of her. Benji Wyatt who used to wipe his nose on his shirt sleeve. Benji Wyatt who used to have a round, chubby face, now had a jawline that could cut glass.

Ben was thinking the same thing. But one thing he noticed was that Leslie never grew out of her tenacity. That ever so slight aggressive spirit stayed with her throughout the years, and he loved it.

He also feared it, considering their current job roles.

“I still can’t believe you’re here,” Leslie said. “Little Benji Wyatt’s back in Pawnee. I take it you don’t go by Benji now?”

“Just Ben’s fine,” Ben said, grinning at her. “I can’t believe how long it’s been since…everything.”

“I know. We were so stupid. I can’t believe we thought all of that was a good idea.”

“I know, we were crazy. Why did we ever think that running away would be the best solution to everything?”

~~

_1985_

They were blissfully unaware of it all.

Unaware that their parents had called the police, and there was a search conducted all throughout the town, looking for the missing Leslie Knope and Benjamin Wyatt.

How could they have known this would happen? All Benji wanted to do was take Leslie to the woods. All Leslie wanted to do was be happy.

And they were, in this tiny spot by the lake where they had set up camp. They listened to cassettes on Benji’s old tape player, and Leslie showed Benji how to fish properly, since she disagreed with his method.

At night, they cuddled under the warm woollen blanket Leslie had bought from home and chatted happily.

For them, they were safe and happy.

~~

_2011_

Ben had been in Pawnee for over a month, and was getting used to being back in his hometown. 

He and Leslie had reaffirmed their friendship, and went out for coffee a lot after budget meetings. True to his word, the budget crisis wasn’t there for too long, but as a precaution, he and Chris would have to stay in Pawnee for three extra months to make sure that all was well.

“What does Alison think about this?” Leslie asked the day Ben found out.

“She says it’s fine,” Ben said with a shrug. “I mean, not that it really matters. I think she prefers it when I’m out of town.”

“You don’t mean that,” Leslie said, moving forward in the queue line as they waited to order their coffee.

“No, I really do,” Ben said, clearing his throat. “We’re engaged but…I don’t know, things are distant. I’m just not sure if it’s going to work out that’s all.”

Leslie gave him a sad smile. “I’m sorry to hear that. I know the end of a relationship sucks.”

Ben sighed. “Thanks. I think we’re just waiting for the other to end it, neither of us have the balls to do so.”

“Well you might patch things up,” Leslie said. “Never say never, this time next year everything could’ve changed.”

Ben pursed his lips. “You’re right. I forgot how always positive you are.”

Leslie cackled. “It’s in my blood.”

They moved forward again in the queue, and Ben turned back to talk to Leslie. He didn’t look where he was going and backed up right into the customer in front of them.

“Oh sorry,” Ben said, quickly turning around to apologise again, only to completely freeze up on the spot.

The customer ahead was in a police uniform. Ben didn’t do any damage, nor was any coffee spilt, but by the look on Ben’s face you would’ve thought he’d bought thirty pounds of cocaine into the coffee shop and dropped them in front of the officer.

The police officer shrugged it off and took his coffee to a chair in the corner. Ben let out a sigh of relief, and Leslie started laughing again.

“Really?” she asked. “You’re still terrified of cops?”

“They just make me a little nervous,” Ben said. “Can you blame me?”

Leslie titled her head to the side. “No, not really.”

~~

_1985_

The day they were caught was probably the worst day of the young children’s lives.

Leslie and Ben sprinted through the woods, leaving everything behind, Ben’s cassette player, Leslie’s blanket, the tent and fishing rod, everything. There were sniffer dogs bounding behind them, barking and howling as they tried to corner the two.

“Who are they?” Leslie asked, tears pouring down her face.

“I-I don’t know,” Ben choked out, he tried to be brave, but there were tears of his own leaving streaks of water down the sides of his cheeks.

“Are they going to hurt us?”

Ben placed a hand on his pocket and felt the handle of the penknife he had bought. If the people chasing them were going to hurt them, then he’d be well prepared.

They clambered through trees and darted down rocks, until soon coming to a halt by the river. Ben gasped out and threw his arm out to stop Leslie from falling in.

“We’re done for,” Leslie sobbed, and Ben quickly pushed her behind his back. The least he could do was try and act brave.

He pulled the penknife from his pocket and grasped it in his shaking hand. The dogs leapt into the clearing, followed by two police officers.

“Drop that, you’ll hurt someone,” one snapped at Ben, and the penknife clattered to the floor.

“What are you kids doing out here?” the second officer asked. “Don’t you know people have been looking for you for days?”

Ben couldn’t say anything. He was trembling as the two older men looked down at him. He wasn’t brave. He wasn’t strong. He was stupid.

Leslie got up from behind Ben’s back. “We were camping,” she said, her voice bold.

The first officer scoffed. “Camping? Jesus Christ. You’re nothing but two kids.”

The second officer grabbed Ben’s arm, maybe too roughly for the young boy yelped out a little. “Come on. You’re both coming with us.”

~~

_2011_

“You know the officers here are really friendly,” Leslie said. “My boyfriend is actually an officer.”

She cackled again at the look on Ben’s face as he squirmed uncomfortable in his seat.

“Don’t worry, he’ll love you. Just…maybe try and relax if you two ever met,” Leslie said kindly.

Ben secretly wished that he would never have to meet him.

~~

It was a night at the Snakehole Lounge when everything changed. 

Leslie felt in a daze. Alcohol swirled around her brain and her emotions were all over the place. She had gotten into a fight with Ann over boys, and now she just wanted to cry.

Leslie had made a comment about Ann’s fickleness when it came to dating, and Ann retaliated saying that she and Dave weren’t exactly a model couple, and were insanely boring.

“Are you ok?” she heard a voice. She sniffed and looked up, seeing Ben in front of her.

“I heard you and Ann yelling at each other,” he said, taking a seat next to her in the sticky booth. Leslie could tell he was just as drunk as she was.

“She’ssa stupid jerkface!” Leslie announced loudly, folding her arms. Ben chuckled softly.

“You don’t mean that. You two are best friends. You’re both just drunk and not thinking straight.”

Leslie glared at Ben. “You’re drunk too, mister.”

“Yeah,” Ben grinned cheekily. “But I haven’t gotten into a shouting match with anyone.”

Leslie slumped against Ben with a dramatic sigh. She felt Ben tense up a little, but he still wrapped his arm around her. 

“Do you remember…” Leslie said a little while after listening to the loud, infectious music in the club. “when we used to do this…by the river?”

“I do,” Ben said. He chewed the inside of his mouth. “I’ve been thinking a lot about that camping trip recently.”

“Yeah?” Leslie looked up to look at him.

“We really were fucking idiots back then,” Ben said. “And I can’t help but still feel really bad for it, like, I really thought it was a good idea to just take you away camping? I have no idea what I was thinking of.”

“Stop,” Leslie quickly cut in. “It was such a sweet idea, you were just trying to help. We didn’t think-”

“I ruined everything,” Ben carried on. “My parents moved us away because of that.”

‘Your parents moved because of the divorce,” Leslie reminded him. “And why are you trying to pin the blame on yourself for something that happened almost 30 years ago. It’s not worth it.”

She cupped his face in her hands, maybe a little too tightly, causing Ben’s lips to pucker. “You were so sweet back then. And I’m sorry we lost touch over the years. I really wish we didn’t, but I’m so glad that fate has pushed us back together.”

Leslie trailed off. She couldn’t help but stare at Ben’s lips. Lips that were tinged pink and a little wet from the Snakejuice. Lips that looked like that had been neglected for weeks, maybe months. Lips that were in desperate need of kissing.

Neither of them were sure who leaned in first, but suddenly, their lips were connected, and hands were tangled in each other’s hair.

~~

_1985_

Leslie and Benji were sat by the fire close by the lake. It was just by the clearing, close by a small patch of wildflowers. Ben had a large fish on a stick and held it over the fire. It was their biggest success during fishing earlier.

He couldn’t take any credit. Leslie was the one who caught it.

Leslie rubbed her hands together and warmed them on the fire. “How long until the fish is cooked?”

“I don’t know,” Ben mumbled. This was the first time he’d ever cooked anything on his own.

The fish was nearly blackened before Ben decided to serve it. They both pulled parts off and ate it in silence. Both of them trying to get their head around the fact that fish would be their only source of food for the next week or so.

Leslie picked a bone out of her portion. “Benji, can I ask you something?”

Ben wiped his mouth and reached for his water bottle. “Sure.”

“Have you ever kissed a girl before?” 

Ben nearly choked. “What?”

“You heard, have you ever kissed a girl before?” Leslie asked more defiantly this time. 

Ben looked down at his fish shyly. “No. Girls don’t like me.”

“I like you,” Leslie quickly said. She scooted closer to him, pushing her fish to the side.

“Would you like to kiss me?”

Ben looked up at her. It would be good to say that he had kissed a girl. Then maybe Henry would stop picking on him. He was sure that Henry had never kissed a girl before. 

He slowly nodded and faced Leslie. She smiled a little and pushed loose strands of her hair back.

Ever so carefully, Ben closed his eyes leaned in. It wasn’t much, a mere brushing of the lips. But Leslie made a soft noise to say that she’d enjoyed it.

“That was nice,” Leslie whispered.

Ben grinned and nodded. “Yeah, it was,” he murmured.

Leslie licked her lips and looked back down at the fish. “You should carry on eating. You’re pretty shrimpy. You might not last the winter.”

Ben snorted and pushed Leslie’s shoulder. “Am not!” 

“Are too!”

~~

_2011_

Time stood still. Nothing else mattered in that moment but the fact that Ben was finally kissing Leslie. It wasn’t a quick, hardly a kiss like all those years ago. This was a lot more than that. Their tongues touched each other and his hands wandered along the lining of her pants.

He could have stayed in that moment forever. Just here with Leslie, in this sticky Snakehole Lounge booth, but she pulled away. Face flushed and lipstick smudged.

“Uh oh,” she mumbled, looking horrified.

Ben swallowed. He knew what she meant.


End file.
